[Original Lavish Studio Press Book for]: THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS

[Culver City]: RKO Radio Pictures, 1936.. [1],34,[1]pp. Small folio. Highly pictorial self-wrapper. Heavily illustrated throughout. Horizontal fold (possibly as issued), narrow, clean intermittent splits and a short snag at the spine fold, otherwise a very good copy with the rare color herald tipped in, as issued. A highly pictorial and unusually content- rich press book displaying the publicity paper and substantial and significant text issued to promote John Ford's 1936 film, based on Dudley Nichols's adaptation of Sean O'Casey's play about the 1916 Easter Uprising. While considered one of Ford's least successful films, it is thought by many critics to be cinematographer Joseph August's masterpiece. As a follow-up to the phenomenal success of THE INFORMER, Ford had initially hoped to direct a film drawing largely on the talents of the Abbey Theatre Players and Spencer Tracy, but Tracy was unavailable and RKO intervened, forcing Ford to include Barbara Stanwyck as a lead, and even inserted melodramatic retake scenes Ford had no hand in, well after he had finished the project. The film had serious shortcomings, including a fundamental divergence from the tone and language of O'Casey's play. But in spite of those shortcomings -- a few of which can not be blamed on Ford -- it did feature a number of the Abbey Theatre Players, including Arthur Shields (who was in the Dublin Post Office when it fell), Barry Fitzgerald, Eileen Crowe, Una O'Conner and Dennis O'Dea, many of whom later joined Ford's company. A considerable portion of the text is devoted to setting the play, and the film, in their historical context. An important feature is a double-spread, closely set 10 column prose 'fictionalization' based on the film and screenplay. Examples of this press book are very scarce, particularly so with the color herald intact. OCLC/WORLDCAT locates a single copy, at Boston College. OCLC: 417660878.